5 Key Challenges for a Doctor Serving Humanity

For centuries doctors have been held up as heroes who heal disease, alleviate pain, and save lives, and traditionally they have been paid handsomely to do so. Even if salary is not a motivating factor, it’s not surprising that so many idealistic young people want to give back to humanity in such a grand and noble way. However, this idealism tends to waver somewhat for many prospective physicians as they move through the grind of medical school and the manic demands of residency. And those who survive these obstacles have a new set of challenges in the real world. Here are 5 key challenges for a doctor serving humanity that can make helping patients difficult for millions of doctors.

1. Bureaucratic (and otherwise flawed) healthcare systems.

Although healthcare system frustrations probably plague most countries that actually have a system in place, one that is taking center stage right now is the relatively new Affordable Care Act (ACA) in the United States. There are numerous inevitable problems as doctors and their staff struggle to adapt, and to sort out the uncertainties regarding the ways the new law will affect the quality of patient care. Physicians are also rightfully concerned about how the ACA will impact their practices, economically and otherwise. (Some have stated in no uncertain terms that the Act will be a disaster for doctors and patients alike.) Although the key purpose behind the ACA is supposedly to benefit patients, the reality is that dealing with new government mandates, struggling with new technologies, and learning to navigate new payment mazes can detract from this core mission.

In many cases this challenge is related to the problem of bureaucracies and other healthcare system challenges, but it is also part of a larger picture that encompasses a range of factors, including regulatory issues, society’s expectations of medicine, and the frantic pace of modern life. Government regulations, private-pay requirements, and the day-to-day hassles of running a business often force physicians to spend less time with patients. The stakes are so high – with their very careers on the line – that today’s doctors can’t afford not to jump through every hoop that is put in their path.

4. Incurable diseases, the re-emergence of older deadly diseases, and the emergence of “superbugs” for which medical science has little remedy.

Doctors have probably always felt helpless and frustrated in the face of incurable diseases. Doctors and other healthcare workers now have to deal with the strains of superbugs that are emerging. These include increasingly antibiotic resistant bacteria (thanks in large part to overuse and misuse of antibiotics throughout the food chain), and new strains of viruses that keep medical researchers and healthcare workers on their toes. Hospitals are breeding grounds for many of these bugs. Despite their best efforts, it sometimes seems that doctors are losing the war against these microscopic enemies that are claiming millions of lives all over the world.

Many doctors work 80 hours or more weekly, and relatively little of that time is spent actually interacting with patients. Doctors and their staff spend so much time complying with new regulations, adapting to new technology, and addressing economics of maintaining a practice, it’s no wonder burnout remains a constant threat. “The unavoidable fact is that unhappy physicians make for a poorer healthcare system,” wrote the authors of a December 2013 article on the Medical Economics web site. Though this article primarily focused on U.S. doctors, burnout and frustration are also a problem with overworked, underpaid doctors all over the world, perhaps especially in countries with bureaucratic healthcare systems.

The above isn’t intended to discourage any enthusiastic, qualified candidate from becoming a doctor. To the contrary: the world will continue to need good doctors. Doctors make positive contributions, so the desire to serve humanity is both praiseworthy and reasonable. The key for a prospective doctor is to manage his or her expectations, by acknowledging the challenges associated with the profession. Facing up to these realities can help doctors live up to the ideals that drove them to medicine in the first place.

Author Bio:

This is a guest post by Sarah Brooks from people search. She is a Houston based freelance writer and blogger. Questions and comments can be sent to brooks.sarah23@gmail.com.

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